Quantitative trading strategies―known to many as “black boxes”―have gained a reputation of being difficult to explain and even harder to understand. While there is a certain level of complexity to this approach, with the right guidance, you can successfully overcome potential obstacles and begin to excel in this arena.

That’s why expert fund manager Rishi Narang has created Inside the Black Box. In a straightforward, nontechnical style―supplemented by real-world examples and informative anecdotes―this reliable resource takes you on a detailed tour through the black box. It skillfully sheds light upon the work that “quants” do, lifting the veil of mystery around quantitative trading and allowing anyone interested in doing so to understand quants and their strategies.

Divided into three comprehensive parts, Inside the Black Box opens with an accessible introduction to the discipline of quantitative trading and quickly moves on to demonstrate that what many call a black box is in fact transparent, intuitively sensible, and readily understandable. Along the way, it also explains how quant strategies can fit into your portfolio and why they are so important.

Whether you’re an institutional investor or high-networth individual, the lessons learned here will help you gain an edge in today’s turbulent market. Some of the tough questions answered include:

• How do quants capture alpha?
• What is the difference between theory-driven systems and data-mining strategies?
• How do quants model risk?
• What can be learned about investing in general from quantitative trading?
• And much more.

Given both the difficulty of the market environment over the past few years and the negativity surrounding hedge funds in general and quant funds in particular, there has never been a better time to become more familiar with what quantitative trading is really about. With the help of the framework found here, you can gain a firm understanding of quant strategies, discern which are more likely to succeed, and ascertain how to use specific strategies in a portfolio, to help improve the performance of your investment process.